NFL Player News

Tillman isn't practicing Tuesday due to a concussion, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

Tillman recorded three catches for 43 yards on six targets while playing 34 snaps on offense in Sunday's 31-14 loss to the Bengals before he exited in the second half to be evaluated for a concussion. The wideout's absence from practice two days later suggests he's in the concussion protocol, putting his status in question for this Saturday's wild-card game in Houston. If Tillman is unable to play, David Bell -- who caught two TDs in Week 18 -- would likely serve as the team's No. 3 receiver behind Amari Cooper (heel) and Elijah Moore.

Cooper (heel/rest) won't practice Tuesday, Jake Trotter of ESPN.com reports.

The fact that the Browns are attributing Cooper's absence from practice in part due to rest offers hope that his heel injury won't prevent him from playing in this Saturday's wild-card game in Houston. After producing a career-best stat line of 11 catches for 265 yards and two touchdowns on 15 targets in the Browns' Week 16 win over the Texans, Cooper missed the final two regular-season contests with the injury.

Brown (back) isn't participating in Tuesday's practice, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com reports.

Brown and fellow wideout Robert Woods (hip) were both absent from the Texans' first practice of the week after the two were sidelined for this past Saturday's 23-19 win over the Colts. Both receivers will have two more opportunities to mix into drills ahead of Saturday's wild-card game against the Browns. While Brown and Woods were sidelined in Week 18, John Metchie (one catch for five yards on two targets) and Xavier Hutchison (one catch for six yards on four targets) settled into top-three roles at receiver, but neither came through with a useful fantasy line.

Woods (hip) isn't participating in Tuesday's practice, DJ Bien-Aime of ESPN.com reports.

Woods and fellow wideout Noah Brown (back) were both absent from the Texans' first practice of the week after the two were sidelined for this past Saturday's 23-19 win over the Colts. Both receivers will have two more opportunities to mix into drills ahead of Saturday's wild-card game against the Browns. While Woods and Brown were sidelined in Week 18, John Metchie (one catch for five yards on two targets) and Xavier Hutchinson (one catch for six yards on four targets) settled into top-three roles at receiver, but neither came through with a useful fantasy line.

Ross (hamstring) will not participate at practice Tuesday, Nate Taylor of The Athletic reports.

Ross was forced out of Sunday's win against the Chargers early with a hamstring injury, and he's now missing Kansas City's first practice of the new week. If he can't return to practice Wednesday or Thursday, he'll likely end up inactive for the wild-card round.

Shakir caught all six of his targets for 105 yards in Sunday's 21-14 victory over the Dolphins.

Gabe Davis left the game with a sprained PCL, but the Buffalo offense didn't miss a beat as Shakir stepped up. He finishes his second regular season with a 39-611-2 line, cementing himself as the clear No. 3 on the team -- not bad for a fifth-round pick. Shakir will be asked to handle No. 2 wideout duties behind Stefon Diggs if Davis isn't healthy in time for Sunday's playoff opener against the Steelers.

Samuel finished 2023 with 62 catches for 613 yards and four touchdowns on 91 targets and seven carries for 39 yards and a touchdown.

Samuel was one of five Commanders to catch four TD passes and otherwise finished second to Terry McLaurin in the major receiving categories. Second-year pro Jahan Dotson was a disappointment as the No. 2 receiver and took a step back from his rookie season, whereas Samuel's 2023 receiving numbers were nearly identical to those from 2022 (62-613-4 receiving line). A lack of rushing opportunities was the biggest change for the 27-year-old, as he got just seven carries under new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy after taking 37 the previous season. Bieniemy wasn't fired along with head coach Ron Rivera, but it's nonetheless possible Samuel ends up in a new offense for 2024 given that he's reached the end of his three-year contract. Groin and hamstring injuries limited him to 84 snaps in the first season of the deal, but he then missed just one game the past two years while handling snap shares of 71.4 percent (2022) and 55.5 percent (2023). Samuel shouldn't have too much trouble finding teams that are interested in signing him as a No. 3 receiver

Dotson finished 2023 with 49 catches for 518 yards and four touchdowns on 83 targets.

Dotson had more yards (523) and touchdowns (seven) as a rookie in 2022 despite missing five full games and having his snaps limited in two others. He didn't miss any games in his sophomore campaign, but nearly everything else was a disappointment, including his target volume (4.9 per game) and efficiency stats (59.0 percent catch rate, 10.6 yards per catch, 6.2 yards per targe). His catch rate barely rose compared to 2022 -- even though his aDOT sunk from 13.5 to 9.3 -- and his yards after catch (YAC) average dropped from 3.9 to 2.4 (usually it rises when a player sees more short passes and fewer long ones). The main positives here are that Dotson never got benched, playing 82.2 percent of Washington's snaps on offense, and may now head into his third NFL season with a new head coach and new starting quarterback. The 2022 first-round pick nonetheless figures to come off the board much later in 2024 fantasy drafts than he did this past summer, with the down season in Year 2 casting serious doubt upon his future.

Palmer brought in two of six targets for 10 yards in the Buccaneers' 9-0 win over the Panthers on Sunday.

The rookie finished third on the team in targets, but he wasn't overly efficient with them on an afternoon where Baker Mayfield threw for just 137 yards overall. Palmer closed out the regular season with at least five targets in three straight contests and a 39-385-3 receiving line, and he'll now aim to continue producing in a third receiver role versus the Eagles' vulnerable secondary in Monday night's wild-card matchup.

Davis caught his only target for 18 yards in Sunday's 13-12 loss to the Chiefs. He also tallied three carries for 17 yards and recorded 69 kick-return yards.

Despite all the injuries to Chargers wideouts, the 2023 fourth-round pick was merely a gadget option, as Davis had nearly as many receptions (15) as carries (14) in his pro debut. The speedy target might have been unceremoniously passed over on the depth chart by castoff receivers such as Alex Erickson, Keelan Doss and Jalen Guyton, but Davis did prove to be an effective return man, combining for 760 return yards to go along with one touchdown. Los Angeles' receiving corps could undergo a massive overhaul due to cap woes, which would leave Davis and fellow TCU target Quentin Johnston as one of the last few pass catchers standing entering the 2024 campaign.